title: Challenges and psychosocial growth for older volunteers giving intensive humanitarian service.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We conducted a qualitative study of 38 mid-late life volunteers in intensive humanitarian service to ascertain the challenges, personal changes, and benefits they experienced from their volunteer activities. Intensive volunteering was defined as service done on a 24-hr a day basis at a location away from home.
  
  
  METHODS
  In-depth interviews were conducted by phone or in person with each participant. Couples serving together were interviewed conjointly. Data were analyzed using McCracken's 5-step process for long interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants described and resolved many challenges including adjustment to new situations and cultures, work-related challenges, and readjustment to home. Consistent with Erikson's descriptions of care, volunteers described benefits of expanded social networks, increased closeness to spouses, and increased compassion and empathy for others. In terms of wisdom, they described altered personal perspectives, with lessened materialism and self-focus, greater appreciation of cultural differences, and finding existential meaning in service.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because of population aging and social service organizational contraction, humanitarian service organizations may rely more on older volunteers to fulfill their goals. A deeper understanding of the challenges, ways in which they were met, and perceived benefits of later life intensive volunteering can inform organizational efforts to recruit older adults and support them in diverse settings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family, Consumer, and Human Development, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-2905, USA. kathy.piercy@usu.edu
authors.forename: Kathleen W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Piercy
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cheek
authors.forename: Boyd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Teemant
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D000533:Altruism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012067:Religion; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014838:Volunteers / Q000523:psychology*